Remco Evenepoel became today the youngest ever rider to triumph at the Belgium Tour.
One of the oldest stage races in the world, which came to life one year before the Giro d’Italia was born, has now landed in Remco Evenepoel’s palmares, after the talented teenager etched his name in the history books following a mighty performance which he pulled off in a truly spectacular fashion.
“Being the youngest winner of the race is a great achievement, but it hasn’t sunk in yet. I’m thrilled and at the same time extremely grateful to the entire team, who continued to protect me today and make sure I seal this beautiful victory”, said Evenepoel.
What the Belgian prodigy has done over the past week hasn’t been anything short of impressive, from his stage 2 superb ride, when he zipped clear of the peloton to the composed display on the tough penultimate day, when he remained cool as a cucumber, despite being put under pressure, and all but sealed the overall victory.
Even a crash, that occurred inside the final kilometre of stage 5 could not stop the Deceuninck–Quick-Step rider from triumphing in front of his home fans at the age of 19 years and 142 days and less than six months since turning pro.
“If there’s one thing I’ve learned this race is that alone you can’t do too much and in order to reach your goals, you always need a great team. I had one by my side and I consider myself lucky. We raced as one and this is, without any doubt, one of the best things of the entire week”, said Evenepoel.
“This week has been a rollercoaster of emotions, but I remained calm at all times and overcame every hurdle, including today’s crash. Fortunately, there were no consequences and the bad luck ended up helping me, as I could cross the finish line alone and get that big round of applause from the fans, something I will forever cherish. Now I’m going home, enjoy two days of rest with my family and some pizza, and then I’ll continue my build-up for the two races at the Nationals, the ITT and the road event, where I want to help the team keep the jersey.”
Belgium Tour 2019 – stage 5 results (Tongeren – Beringen):
| 1 | Bryan Coquard (Vital Concept-B&B Hotel) | 4:01:21 |
| 2 | Pierre Barbier (Natura4Ever – Roubaix Lille Métropole) | ,, |
| 3 | Emils Liepins (Wallonie-Bruxelles) | ,, |
| 4 | Tom Van Asbroeck (Israel Cycling Academy) | ,, |
| 5 | Toon Aerts (Telenet Fidea Lions) | ,, |
| 6 | Jonas Rickaert (Corendon-Circus) | ,, |
| 7 | Gijs Van Hoecke (CCC) | ,, |
| 8 | Corné Van Kessel (Telenet Fidea Lions) | ,, |
| 9 | Davide Martinelli (Deceuninck-Quick-Step) | ,, |
| 10 | Kevin Van Melsen (Wanty-Gobert) | ,, |
Belgium Tour 2019 – final general classification:
| 1 | Remco Evenepoel (Deceuninck-Quick-Step) | 15:49:17 |
| 2 | Victor Campenaerts (Lotto Soudal) | +52” |
| 3 | Tim Wellens (Lotto Soudal) | +02’02” |
| 4 | Toon Aerts (Telenet Fidea Lions) | +02’28” |
| 5 | Andreas Kron (Riwal Readynez) | +02’29” |
| 6 | Jasper Philipsen (UAE Team Emirates) | ,, |
| 7 | Bryan Coquard (Vital Concept-B&B Hotel) | ,, |
| 8 | Loïc Vliegen (Wanty-Gobert) | +02’38” |
| 9 | Aimé De Gendt (Wanty – Gobert) | +02’39” |
| 10 | Pieter Weening (Roompot-Charles) | ,, |
